On July 10, the Communist Party’s Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI) published the sixth article in a series on the international pursuit of those corrupt officials who have already misappropriated funds and fled China. The sixth in this series focuses on working with international norms and local laws.
BBC Chinese: Hong Kong Fell Deeper into Ideological Control
BBC Chinese recently reported that the Hong Kong Journalists Association (HKJA) published its 2016 Annual Report on Freedom of Speech. The Annual Report observed that Hong Kong has fallen deep into an “ideology war” that has made the “one country, two systems” policy seem to be facing an “unprecedented threat.” Among 26 mainstream media companies in Hong Kong, the Chinese government or the Mainland capital currently control 31 percent directly. Many journalists and media companies have been asked to “edit their reports” by “orders from high up.” However, Carrie Lam, the Hong Kong Chief Secretary for Administration, said in a press forum that she did not see any practical examples of Hong Kong having a worsened freedom of speech environment, although she heard many foreign agencies perceive that things are getting worse. The HKJA Annual Report reported that 85 percent of the journalists and 45 percent of the residents surveyed agreed that the level of freedom of speech in Hong Kong is on the decline.
Source: BBC Chinese, July 3, 2016
http://www.bbc.com/zhongwen/simp/china/2016/07/160703_hongkong_press_freedom
China’s Air Quality Issue Remains Challenging
Well-known Chinese news site Sina recently reported that the Chinese Academy of Engineering and the Ministry of Environmental Protection jointly released the mid-term evaluation results for the Air Pollution Control Project, which started in 2013. The State Council commissioned the project. The joint report showed the total air pollutant (PM2.5 and PM10) volume is on the decline in most of the provinces, but the general air quality issue remains very challenging, especially during the winter season. The focal points of the pollution reduction effort should be establishing higher industrial standards, adjusting the industrial structure, and enhancing coal burning controls. Scientists from the Chinese Academy of Engineering pointed out that, in the next two years, the country needs to continue strengthening the energy source structural adjustments so it can improve the capability of dealing with heavy air pollution incidents in the future.
Source: Sina, July 5, 2016
http://dailynews.sina.com/gb/chn/chnpolitics/chinanews/20160705/03237405182.html
Chinese Mobile Advertising Vendor Made Widespread Android Malware
Well-known Chinese IT news site ITHome reported on a widespread Android mobile malware called HummingBad. Its findings were based on research results that the leading U.S. information security company Check Point published. The Chinese mobile advertisement delivery vendor Yingmob made the HummingBad malware which has reportedly infected over ten million Android mobile phones. Over 50 Android mobile apps have HummingBad implanted that have delivered 20 million ads daily. This has generated a monthly revenue of US$300,000 for Yingmob. Technical experts have warned that the spread of the malicious HummingBad software could be used to do worse damage by stealing data on the mobile devices. [Editor’s note: According major U.S. technology news provider ZDNet, HummingBad has now infected 85 million Android devices across the globe.]
Source: ITHome, July 5, 2016
http://www.ithome.com.tw/news/106960
Xinhua: Low Rate of Recycling Used Automobile Tires Is a Source of Pollution
Xinhua reported that the small and medium size tire manufacturers in Nanning Guangxi Province recently held an environmental conference. During the conference, the participants raised their concerns about the rapid increase in used automobile tires and the potential impact this has had as an environmental hazard. According to statistics that the China Rubber Industry released, in 2013, China produced 299 million used tires which weighed 10.8 million tons. That number has been increasing by 8 to 10 percent each year. By 2015, the total number of used tires reached over 300 million. The environmental concerns include increases in used tire storage space; its impact on the natural environment; and fire sensitivity, which could produce a large amount of smoke and hazardous substances. According to the article, China’s used tire recycling rate is only at 60 percent due to the fact that the manufacturers have a limited recycling and reuse capability, low profitability, and the lack of a market.
Source: Xinhua, July 11, 2016
http://news.xinhuanet.com/politics/2016-07/11/c_129133731.htm
Guangming Daily: Build Party Organization Using Smart Information Systems
Guangming Daily carried an article that promoted the idea of “building the Party organization using smart information technology systems.” The article listed some modern technology that can be used to develop the Party organization. These include 3D animation, websites, videos, microblogs, online applications, and WeChat. The article described how, through modern technology, the Party organization can build “a propaganda platform to promote Party policy and its value system while increasing the Party’s foundation, control its discourse rights, and improve the power of its influence." It will also help the party organization to improve the management of its membership, collect membership fees, and manage organizational transfer more efficiently."
Source: Guangming Daily, July 11, 2016
http://theory.gmw.cn/2016-07/11/content_20912312.htm
Guangming Daily: China’s Middle Class Population Is Far below Advanced Countries
Guangming Daily published an article about the size of China’s middle class. It stated that about 20 percent of the population in China is in the middle class. That number is far below the level of advanced countries based on the definition of an income of US$10 to $100 per day per person per family, the standard defined by the World Bank. The article stated that the reasons that China is behind other countries is that China’s economic development style is a labor intensive manufacturing process structure with a small number required in high tech professions. Also, in 2014, only 11.5 percent of China’s population held associate or bachelor’s college degrees, a number that is far below the average of Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) member countries. The urbanization of farmers moving from the countryside into the city has also had an impact on the growth of the middle class population.
Source: Guangming Daily, July 11, 2016
http://news.gmw.cn/2016-07/11/content_20906741.htm
People’s Daily Warns U.S. Not to Breach the Bottom Line in the South China Sea Issue
People’s Daily published an article to warn the United States not to go too far on the South China Sea issue. It said, “The U.S. must be clear that everything has a bottom line. Once someone goes too far, they have to pay the price.”